Lexington literally runs past Ontario, 47-21

LEXINGTON — With a sophomore quarterback making his first varsity start Friday night, new Lexington head coach Tim Scheid wanted to take the pressure off by running the ball.

Senior Kaydan Berry was happy to oblige in a record-setting way.

The 5-11, 200-pound running back ran around, past and through Ontario defenders on his way to a school-record 300 yards on 29 carries and three TDs as the Minutemen opened the season with a 47-21 win.

Berry credited his offensive line for clearing the way to break the record set in 2007 by Brad Gallik, who rushed for 279 yards in a season-opener at Ontario.

“I didn’t know I had set the record,” said Berry, who rushed for 723 yards and seven TDs last year in an injury-shortened season. “I give all the credit to the O-line. We ran the ball right down their throat. We knew they couldn’t stop it. That was our goal the whole game.

“The offensive line executed, I hit the holes and just keep my feet moving,” Berry said.

NEW, BUT NOT NEW: It was his first game as a head coach, but Scheid had been the defensive coordinator at Lexington since 2006, helping the Minutemen to playoff runs under two different head coaches in 2007, 2008, 2016 and 2018.

He was thrilled to see his players, including offensive linemen Jacob Dennison, Alex Stevens, Hayden Hoskins, Chase Carter and Ammon Parr, make their mark in the school record book on opening night.

As a team, Lexington rushed for 434 yards on 49 carries, averaging almost nine yards per attempt. Senior running back Keith Thomas, who missed last year with a broken leg sustained in a pre-season scrimmage, added 121 yards on 11 carries. He also scored three TDs, including a 62-yard sprint.

“We knew Keith would be kind of an unknown the area (after missing last year),” Scheid said. “He has a lot of speed and great vision in the hole. I am happy he had the breakout game that he did.

“This offensive line has really come together. They moved the line of scrimmage tonight, which is the expectation I had of them. They have experience, they have done it before. They are the leaders up there and they took control,” Scheid said.

Ontario coach Chris Miller, who had his team battle back from a 20-0 deficit after one quarter to make it 20-14 late in the second period, said his team just couldn’t stop Lexington’s ground game.

“Defensively, we have a lot of work to do. We are going to have to clean things up over there or it’s gonna be a rough one. You can’t win too many football games giving up that many yards rushing,” Miller said.

“Offensively, we left a lot of points out there. We had some guys running open and just kinda missed them. A couple of steps here and there make a difference.

At the same time, Miller didn’t want to emphasize the rivalry loss too much. His team rushed for just 97 yards on 37 carries while completing seven of 16 passes for 117 more.

“It’s one game and it’s week one. It’s a fun rivalry to have in week one. But from the standpoint that you put all your eggs in one basket and then come out like we did tonight … the fear is the kids will say, ‘We lost week one .. what are we playing for?’ It’s a long season. Football is a grind. We have nine more games left. We have the opportunity to come back next week (at Sparta Highland) and get better,” Miller said.

GROUND AND POUND: Scheid wanted to run early and often, which Lexington did. But after two Berry touchdown runs put the Minutemen up 14-0, QB Cole Pauley showed he can throw the ball, too.

The 6-foot, 165-pound sophomore threw a 29-yard TD strike to speedy senior Alex Green that made it 20-0 with 1:23 left in the first quarter. He finished completing three of nine passes for 71 yards, the one TD and also a pick-six that Ontario junior Avery Hooks took back 48 yards for the score.

“We knew going in we wanted to take as much off of (Pauley’s) shoulders as we could,” Scheid said. “He was nervous coming into the game. We wanted to run the ball, get him comfortable and then maybe, if we needed to open him up a little at the end, he would have that comfort level.

“He is a special kid. He is going to be pretty good,” Scheid said.

Lexington faces two likely tougher opponents in the next couple of weeks. The Minutemen play at Shelby next Friday. The Whippets pounded Madison, 50-20, in week one. In week three, Lexington hosts Clear Fork. The Colts, now riding a 21-game regular-season winning streak, blanked Fredericktown, 56-0, in their opener.

That’s before his team even begins play in the Ohio Cardinal Conference.

Scheid doesn’t think his team, which returns seven offensive and six defensive starters, will be overwhelmed. Lexington graduate Cade Stover, Ohio’s Mr. Football in 2018, has moved on to Ohio State. But the cupboard is far from bare.

“This community can really embrace football. I have seen it. I want to have that consistency here. The energy in the crowed was really good tonight. I want to keep a consistent, winning tradition here in Lexington, with kids growing up wanting to play football here,” he said.